VOTER APATHY, 2008 - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY

2008 has become an election year to remember and we still have several months before the General Election in November. Republicans have narrowed the field down to one , John McCain with Mike Huckabee hanging on to position himself either for the VP slot or for 2012.

Democrats are in a rare fight to the finish between Hillary and Obama. The Delegate count is so close that their nominee will be decided during the Convention with a great deal of infighting and back room deals before a nominee is crowned.

With all of this activity and the nomination process in full swing why then is this post titled , "Voter Apathy, 2008 ?" Simply put, voter apathy has created the nomination nightmare that both parties are facing.

First the Democrats. While every Primary for the Dems has had a fairly large turn out for a Primary the voters have had a great deal of apathy in their voting because of how the vote has turned out. Hillary who does not offer alot has be struggling for her campaign life against Barak Obama whose resume can be written on a postage stamp.

Democrat voter apathy is found in the fact that Obama's great popularity comes from voters who could care less about why he is running but only that he is running. When he makes the statement during his campaign stops, "We Can, " no one is asking the obvious question, "We Can WHAT !" Obama has no experience, no plan , no substance and when voters who support him are asked to name a single accomplishment attributed to the Senator from Illinois, no one can name anything because there are no accomplishments to name.

When asked, voters speak of his speech at the Convention in 2004. They mention that he is a Senator. They mention that he is black. They mention that he has charisma. Yet no one can tell you what he stands for or anything he has done. He could very well win the Democrat nomination because he looks and sounds good and nothing else.

The only non-apethetic aspect of the Obama surge is that voters are excited about him , yet have no clue of what he has done or what he can do, just that he is! Democrat voters apethetically are supporting Obama and could care less about issues, or substance of the candidate. They just like him and that is all.

Republicans have not faired much better in some respects. Voter apathy during the Primaries allowed John McCain to come out of nowhere to gain the nomination. Voter turn out was low in every GOP Primary and because there was not a candidate of , "excitement, " for the GOP crowd voters simply did not show up to vote. Now those same voters want to complain about who is getting the nomination.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a McCain fan but I do know this. Being a Conservative does not mean sitting back on my Conservative principles and because the candidate who happens to be leading for the nomination does not meet with all of my standards, then I just will not vote.

Being a Conservative not only stands for certain principles but it also stands for FIGHTING for those principles even when a candidate does not agree with them 100%. Sitting back in apathy and complaining by threatening not to vote accomplishes nothing and will place a Democrat in the White House.

Many within GOP circles are willing to do just that and try for a better candidate in 2012 and accept the consequences of four years of Hillary or Obama. I am not one of those. I would rather challenge a President McCain with my Conservative acitivism 25 - 30% of the time than have to fight a liberal/Socialist Hillary or Obama 100% of the time.

Apathy because of lack of interest in a candidate that does not agree 100% with Conservative principles is a dangerous presidence to set for our Constitutional Republic. What would have happened if George Washington had told the Constitutional Congress that he was retired and was no longer interested in fighting for the Republic ?

What if Reagan had decided after Watergate that fighing for Conservative principles was not worth it and he simply retired from public life and enjoyed his Senior years with his beloved Nancy at their California Ranch ?

Conservative voters whose apathy toward McCain based on their anger over his past actions are giving up the fight against liberalism and willingly assisting the Democrats into the White House. Being a Conservative does not mean SITTING on our principles but FIGHTING for them even if it is with our own GOP candidate !

Democrats are apathetically uninformed about Obama and Republcians are apatehtically whining because they did not get all they wanted in a candidate. Both forms of voter apathy are dangerous and show an irresponsibility toward our Constitutional duty as citizens of this great land to make our government listen to the voice of, " We The People! "

Our history was made by individuals and groups who not only stood for their principles but fought for them and for the country that they loved. 2008 is no different then the heritage that has been left to us of political activism and not political apathy.

Democrats get off you lazy apethetic uninformed back sides and research to find out just who and what your candidate believes and when Obama states, " We Can, " demand of him , "We can WHAT ! "

Republicans quit complaining anout who we have as a nominee and demand of him to stand for the principles that we believe in and leave your voter apathy at home and fight for our principles. Many have asked the question who would Reagan vote for ? Ronald Reagan would vote for the GOP nominee, John McCain and demand of him a platform of Conservative principles that follow those that Reagan fought for most of his political life.

We as Conservatives must follow Reagan's example and fight, even John McCain for those principles. Stop our whining and complaining and unite for victory against the liberals we have fought against all of our lives. Then with our Conservative activism demand that a President McCain listen to the voice of the people, which will be his Constitutional responsibility as he defends and protects the Constitution, the voice of the people !

Ken Taylor